6 Risk and protective factors

Family

A number of aspects of family life were associated with drug use
in the month before the survey. These were: who you live with;
maternal awareness; paternal awareness; and family communication
(Figure 6.1).

Who you live with

Among 13 year olds there were no differences in drug use in the
last month by family status. However, among 15 year olds, those
living with a single or step parent were more likely to have used
drugs in the last month than those who lived with both parents.

Maternal and paternal awareness

Among both age groups, drug use in the last month was higher
among those who thought that their mother knew a below average
amount about what they do and who they are with. The same pattern
emerged for father's perceived knowledge of activities, although to
a lesser degree.

Family communication

Across both age groups, those that say they would be likely to
talk to their family if they felt worried about something, were
less likely to have taken drugs in the last month than those who
would not.

Caring responsibilities

Those with caring responsibilities were slightly more likely to
have used drugs in the last month than those who did not.

Figure 6.1 Proportion of pupils who took drugs in the last
month by factors relating to family life (2015)

Aspects of a pupil's social life were also associated with
having used drugs in the last month. These were: number of close
friends; age of friends; number of evenings spent out with friends;
amount of own cash to spend; and type of leisure activities pursued
(Figure 6.2).

Number of friends

Pupils with no close friends were more likely to have used drugs
in the last month than those who had one or more.

Age of friends

Pupils with mostly older friends were more likely to have used
drugs in the last month than those who had younger friends or
friends about the same age. Among 15 year olds, having friends of
mixed ages was also associated with a higher likelihood of using
drugs in the last month but this was not the case among 13 year
olds.

Number of evenings spent out with friends

The greater the number of evenings pupils spent out with friends
in a week, the greater the likelihood that they had used drugs in
the last month.

Amount of own cash to spend

Pupils with more money of their own to spend were more likely to
have used drugs in the last month.

Leisure activities

Lower drug use prevalence was associated with spending time
reading books. Among 13 year olds, playing a sport regularly and
among 15 year olds doing a hobby regularly were also associated
with lower levels of drug use.

In contrast, hanging out in the street and going to concerts or
gigs regularly were associated with higher prevalence of drug use.
Among 15 year olds, those that went to a friend's house on a weekly
basis were more likely to have used drugs in the last month (Figure
6.3).

Figure 6.2 Proportion of pupils who took drugs in the last
month by factors relating to friendships (2015)

Figure 6.3 Drug use in the last month, by weekly activities
in order of strength of association (2015)

Q. Here is a list of things that young people sometimes do in
their free time, when they aren't at school. What about
you?

Base: all pupils (for full figures and base sizes please see
Appendix
B)

School

Factors relating to a pupil's engagement with school had a
strong relationship with drug use behaviour. The more engaged a
pupil was with school the less likely they were to have used drugs
in the last month. The main factors were: enjoying school; feeling
pressured by schoolwork; exclusion from school; and truanting.
Post-school expectations were also related to drug use in the last
month (Figure 6.4).

Enjoying school

The more a pupil liked school, the less likely they were to have
used drugs in the last month.

Feeling pressured by schoolwork

At age 13 those who felt pressured by schoolwork a lot of the
time were substantially more likely to have used drugs in the last
month than those who never or only sometimes felt pressured.

However, among 15 year olds, it was those who never felt
pressured who were most likely to have used drugs in the last
month.

Exclusion from school

Pupils who had ever been excluded from secondary school were
more likely to have used drugs in the last month than those who had
not. 13 year olds who had been excluded were four times more likely
to have used drugs in the last month, while 15 year olds who had
been excluded were three times as likely.

Truanting

Truancy was strongly correlated with drug use in the last month.
Among both age groups, the more frequently a pupil truanted, the
more likely they were to have used drugs in the last month.

Post-school expectations

Among both age groups (although to a lesser extent at age 13),
those that said they expected to go to university after school were
less likely to have reported using drugs in the last month. Among
15 year olds, drug use in the last month was particularly prevalent
among those who thought they would complete an apprenticeship after
they leave school.

Figure 6.4 Proportion of pupils who used drugs in the last
month by school variables (2015)

Inequalities related to health and wellbeing had a stronger
relationship with drug use in the last month than deprivation. The
main factors were: self-rated health; whether a pupil had an
illness or disability; emotional and behavioural problems; and
mental wellbeing (Figure 6.5).

Self-rated health

Among both age groups, pupils who rated their health as 'bad'
were more likely to have used drugs in the last month than those
who rated their health as 'good'.

Illness or disability

Pupils who said they had a long-term illness or disability were
more likely to have used drugs in the last month than those who did
not.

Emotional and behavioural problems

Emotional and behavioural problems are assessed through the
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (
SDQ) in
SALSUS.
The questionnaire contains 5 scales: emotional problems, conduct
problems, hyperactivity problems, peer problems and pro-social
behaviour. The
SDQ
score is a composite measure derived from the first 4 scales listed
and provides an overall indicator of emotional and behavioural
problems.

Pupils with poorer scores for emotional wellbeing and
behavioural conduct were more likely to have used drugs in the last
month.

Mental Wellbeing

Mental wellbeing is assessed in
SALSUS
using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (
WEMWBS).
This is a scale of 14 positively worded items, with five response
categories per item. The scale is scored by summing the response to
each item answered on a 1 to 5 Likert scale. The minimum scale
score is 14 and the maximum is 70. The higher a respondent's score,
the better their mental wellbeing.

Among both age groups, those with below average score for mental
wellbeing were more likely to have used drugs in the last month
than those with an average or above average score.

Area-based deprivation is assessed using the Scottish Index of
Multiple Deprivation (
SIMD).
This is used to provide an indication of material disadvantage in
individual pupils.

Among 15 year olds, those living in the most deprived areas (
SIMD 1)
were more likely to have used drugs in the last month than those
living in more affluent areas. However, among 13 year olds, there
was no relationship between using drugs in the last month and
SIMD.

Figure 6.5 Proportion of pupils who used drugs in the last
month by inequalities and age (2015)